figure

identified by: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Oc1920-0506-2
assigned title: figure
assigned culture: Rapanui
assigned date: 1600-1800
assigned text: Double human figure, a boundary marker (?) made of stone. Arms carved in relief. A double-headed bird carved in relief between the two figures.; Leonardo Pakarati, visit to BM, June 2014: Leo spoke about the significance of the double-headed bird – if the head of one bird is cut off, the body of both dies. This relates to the wellbeing of a community, and how the actions or wellbeing of an individual can affect the group.
assigned provenance: These two figures were collected by Katherine Scoresby Routledge who, with her husband William, carried out fieldwork on the island in 1914-15. Her book, 'The Mystery of Easter Island', published in 1919, does not say anything about these two images, but the bird carved in relief on the double figure seems to point to its links with the birdman cult.
evidenced by: online catalogue
published by: The British Museum

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Title	Class
<UNKNOWN>	Artifact